So, I've been playing a half-orc "bounty hunter" concept in a Kingmaker game, and was looking for some optimization opinions on how I've built it so far, and ideas on where to go with it.
"Hound", Half-orc Rogue 4/Ranger 4
Str 22
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 8
Wis 14
Cha 12
Feats: Keen Scent, Power Attack, Intimidating Prowess, Weapon Focus (Falchion), Dazzling Display, Enforcer, Shatter Defenses, Endurance
Abilities: Evasion, Sneak Attack +2d6, Frightening, Brutal Beating, Scouts Charge, Favored Enemy (Human), Adaptation (Human, Skill Focus)
He's using several different archetypes (Thug, Scout, Infiltrator), and I plan on adding Skirmisher.
Basically, I'm looking for the ability to debuff enemies quickly and efficiently. I'm currently rocking a +25 to Intimidate (Ranks + class skill + racial + Strength + Charisma + magic item), so I'm able to hit the DCs pretty easily.
So far, my general tactic against a single enemy is to charge, swing for nonlethal damage with my falchion in order to make a free Intimidate with Enforcer, rendering him shaken, which I can upgrade to frightened instead because of Frightening, and deal SA damage but drop a dice to make him sickened through Brutal Beating.
Against larger packs, I wait until they're in dazzling display range and AoE intimidate.
The rest of the party consists of: A barbarian, an arcane archer, an eldritch knight, a mystic theurge, and a fighter/alchemist using poisoned crossbow bolts. Stacking debuffs has great synergy, as it makes the poisons more likely to land, and the frontliners less likely to get hit.
Next level, I plan on going with another level of Ranger for Skirmisher to pick up Rattling Strike, letting me make an enemy panicked upon a charge, as well as picking up Improved Critical (Falchion). I was also considering adding Thundering to my falchion, to possibly deafen enemies on a crit. Going forward, I figured I'd go at least one more level of ranger, then dip into 2 levels of barbarian for Fast Movement, Rage (which would increase my Intimidate), Uncanny Dodge, and the Intimidating Glare rage power.
Thoughts?
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I think you could be mechanically solid, but more importantly, I love the flavor of this character. I usually try to make my characters good at either Diplomacy or Intimidate just for roleplay reasons. So you have this hardcore bounty hunter so scary that the enemy basically defeats itself out of pure fear. That's awesome!
I actually played 4th edition for quite a bit, from the day it came out. But I took a break from gaming, and when I started playing again, all my friends had moved onto Pathfinder. Admittedly, my 4E experience taught me the value of buffs and debuffs.
I'm glad that people like the flavor of the build and see no major mechanical issues with it :)
I'm wondering if I should instead of (or in addition to) taking barbarian levels take fighter levels, for the bonus feats to fill out the Critical line. Wielding a falchion would leave me with a pretty reliable source of things like blinded, sickened, staggered, etc. With being able to pick up Great Cleave as a Combat Style feat, I'd be able to Dazzling Display one round, then take advantage of Shatter Defenses to cleave through multiple enemies, kicking off the sickened from Brutal Beating as well as having the 15-20 crit range to trigger the critical feats and Thundering.
What is the "Frightening" ability you refer to?
Also, there's a feat called Cornugon Smash that lets you do a free Intimidate Check whenever you hit someone with Power Attack. That may be worthy of looking into. Possibly switch out Enforcer for that?
Frightening is the ability from the Thug rogue archetype. Replaces trapfinding. Basically, any time I would render someone shaken, the duration is increased by one round. Alternately, if I would have made them shaken for 4 or more rounds, I can have them frightened for one round instead.
Hmm, Cornugon Smash does look pretty sweet, and it means I could deal lethal damage (and not suck the -4 to hit penalty). And if I could trigger it off every enemy I hit while Power Attacking (hello Great Cleave) it'd be even better. I'll have to see if my GM allows it, as so far everyone's only used Core and APG.
If you want to plan it out now, lvl 17 you could be rocking Deadly Stroke by taking fighter levels. It sucks that it requires Greater Weapon Focus. Too bad APs are designed to end arround there, you may not get it.
Alternatively, 8 levels of barbarian can get you terrfying howl, to make all those enemies you make shaken run in fear. Its a better idea to recommend that your Barbarian ally takes it though
Dreadful Carnage strikes me as an effective feat for this build, as I'm basically trying to get as many Intimidate opportunities as I can. And being a Kingmaker game, my party tends to have significantly higher than average level amounts of gold (our cleric of Abadar invests his money well), so getting a Wounding Thundering falchion would be excellent. Perhaps Vorpal, too, if I can convince him that my weapon is more important than new castle walls. Combined with Great Cleave, a 15-20 crit range, and the crit feats, I could step up in melee, cut through a half dozen guys, leaving them blinded, sickened, dazed, panicked, bleeding, possibly deafened, and maybe even decapitated. I may not beat the barbarian in raw damage, but damn if I don't win in pure badassery and style points ;)
It occurs to me that beyond favored enemy, I'm not getting much from the Ranger levels mechanically, though it's an obvious part of the roleplaying. This build could just as easily be built as a rogue/fighter with more feats to back it up, as it's largely based around getting the most out of Frightening. The fighter feats would mean that I could actually use the rogue talents for talents themselves, which might be interesting for Befuddling Strike and Distracting Attack.
Sow Terror
Source Classic Monsters Revisited 7
Bugbears are stealthy, and sometimes they use their skill at furtiveness to inspire dread in their prey.
Prerequisites: Stealthy.
Benefit: Anytime you win an opposed Stealth check by 5 or more you might sow terror as a standard action. You do so by scraping your nails slightly on a solid surface, causing a board to creak ever so lightly, or rapping on a window pane. The victim cannot detect the source of the sound and dismisses it as the wind or some other mundane source, but the idea that something might be lurking nearby festers in the victim’s subconscious. The victim must roll a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your character level + your Charisma modifier) or become shaken for 1d4 rounds.
And Antagonise in the UM
Bard in the APG Court Bard
Extra Trait to get
Trait
Blade of Mercy (Sarenrae)P
Source Legacy of Fire Player's Guide 9
You know that within the heart of even the most hateful and cruel living creature exists a sliver of shame and hope for redemption. You have trained long on martial techniques to use bladed weapons not to kill, but to subdue. When striking to inflict nonlethal damage with any slashing weapon, you do not take the normal -4 penalty on your attack roll, and gain a +1 trait bonus to any nonlethal damage you inflict with a slashing weapon.
This plus Enforcer is awesome
That all for what you are asking for.
I would say stop for sec breath and think about what your roll is.
Are you a striker or controller/leader?
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So, I've been playing a half-orc "bounty hunter" concept in a Kingmaker game, and was looking for some optimization opinions on how I've built it so far, and ideas on where to go with it.
"Hound", Half-orc Rogue 4/Ranger 4
Str 22
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 8
Wis 14
Cha 12Feats: Keen Scent, Power Attack, Intimidating Prowess, Weapon Focus (Falchion), Dazzling Display, Enforcer, Shatter Defenses, Endurance
Abilities: Evasion, Sneak Attack +2d6, Frightening, Brutal Beating, Scouts Charge, Favored Enemy (Human), Adaptation (Human, Skill Focus)
He's using several different archetypes (Thug, Scout, Infiltrator), and I plan on adding Skirmisher.
Basically, I'm looking for the ability to debuff enemies quickly and efficiently. I'm currently rocking a +25 to Intimidate (Ranks + class skill + racial + Strength + Charisma + magic item), so I'm able to hit the DCs pretty easily.
So far, my general tactic against a single enemy is to charge, swing for nonlethal damage with my falchion in order to make a free Intimidate with Enforcer, rendering him shaken, which I can upgrade to frightened instead because of Frightening, and deal SA damage but drop a dice to make him sickened through Brutal Beating.
Against larger packs, I wait until they're in dazzling display range and AoE intimidate.
The rest of the party consists of: A barbarian, an arcane archer, an eldritch knight, a mystic theurge, and a fighter/alchemist using poisoned crossbow bolts. Stacking debuffs has great synergy, as it makes the poisons more likely to land, and the frontliners less likely to get hit.
Next level, I plan on going with another level of Ranger for Skirmisher to pick up Rattling Strike, letting me make an enemy panicked upon a charge, as well as picking up Improved Critical (Falchion). I was also considering adding Thundering to my falchion, to possibly deafen enemies on a crit. Going forward, I figured I'd go at least one more level of ranger, then dip into 2 levels of barbarian for Fast Movement, Rage (which would increase...
I did a similar Ranger/Rogue Bounty Hunter build but took the Natural Weapon Ranger instead. That Plus Enforcer + Power Attack + Cornugan Smash and a 5K Amulet of Mighty Fists (Merciful) lets me rattle off 3 attacks a round at full attack bonus and automatically causing fear in everything I hit by 7th level. Throw Lunge on top of it and I become a High Damage, high Accuracy, Crowd controlling machine. throw my animal companion (Large sized Wolf) getting a free trip attack on everything I hit.
Can inflict Maximum Damage, prevents almost any melee damage and I can bring back every opponent alive and undamaged for full bounties every time.
The Natural Weapon let me rattle off 3 att